The invention relates to an apparatus for forming a dough strand from a preferably large-volume dough mixture, comprising a receptacle for holding the dough mixture, which is provided at the bottom with a discharge opening for the dough, to which two shafts are connected, arranged so as to be fixed parallel to one another and driven in opposite directions in a timed manner in order to effect a downward movement of the dough, the shafts being provided with profiles acting on the dough in the form of an even number of star arms for each shaft.
An apparatus of this kind is known from AT 283235 B.
In bakeries it is often necessary to form a dough strand from a dough mixture. This dough mixture mostly has a large volume, dependent on the size of the kneader with which the dough mixture has been processed. Usual large volumes are about 80 to 240 kg. In order to form dough strands of this kind, separating strips from the dough mixture by means of reciprocating cutters is known, the strips being lined up one after another overlapping and thereby forming a continuous ribbon of dough. However, this ribbon of dough does not have a uniform thickness at the overlap points, so that subsequent processing is required, causing further undesirable demands to be made on the dough.
Extruding the dough through a nozzle is also known, the nozzle cross-section determining the cross-section of the strand of dough to be produced. This procedure also has the disadvantage of considerable demands being made on the dough.
Finally, forming a continuous ribbon of dough from a large volume of dough by means of moving profiled roller pairs is known (EP 744 126 B). Here too, however, considerable undesirable demands made on the dough result.